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TKZ to GSP: Rising sun on walkout gi is symbol of war crimes

"The Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung has taken UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre to task for wear the rising sun on his gi. via Facebook.

Dear Mr. Georges St. Pierre

Hi, My name is Chan Sung Jung from South Korea. As one of many Koreans who like you as an incredible athlete, I feel like I should tell you that many Korean fans, including myself, were shocked to see you in your gi designed after the Japanese ‘Rising Sun Flag’. For Asians, this flag is a symbol of war crimes, much like the German Hakenkreuzflagge. Did you know that? I hope not.

Just like Nazis, the Japanese also committed atrocities under the name of ‘Militarism’. You can easily learn what they’ve done by googling (please do), although it’s only the tiny tip of an enormous iceberg.

Furthermore, the Japanese Government never gave a sincere apology, and still to this day, so many victims are dying in pain, heartbroken, without being compensated. But many westerners like to wear clothes designed after the symbol under which so many war crimes and so much tragedy happened, which is ridiculous.

I know most of them are not militarists. I know most of them do not approve unjustified invasion, torture, massacre, etc. They’re just ignorant. It’s such a shame that many westerners are not aware of this tragic fact. Wearing Rising Sun outfits is as bad as wearing clothes with the Nazi mark on it, if not worse.

Since you’re influenced by Japanese Martial Arts, your wearing a headband designed after Japanese flag is understandable. But again, that huge ‘Rising Sun’ on your Gi means something else.

Many people say GSP is the best Welterweight fighter throughout history, to which I totally agree. This means you have a great influence on every single fan of yours all around the world. And I do believe your wearing ‘the symbol of War Crime’ is a very bad example for them, not to mention for yourself.

So, what do you reckon?
Do you want to wear the same Gi next time as well?

I first saw this article on the other MMA website and saw that a majority of the responses were "who cares" and "asians are too sensitive."

Let me try to put this into perspective. Some Americans feel offended when people display a Confederate flag. This is understandable as the Confederate flag could represent a fractured US or support for the old southern way of life (i.e. slavery). It's a disservice to the many men whom sacrificed their lives to preserve the US, its ideals, and culture.

The Japanese rising sun flag is not a national flag and is flown by the Japanese military who forcibly occupied regions in East and Southeast Asia before World War 2. This flag was flown during this occupation in which many atrocities occurred that included rape, torture, and mass murders. To this day, Japanese officials continue to deny it ever occurring. It is understandable why many Asians would find this flag highly offensive as it represents Japanese nationalism at the expense of other countries.

Also, some have compared the rising sun flag to the Nazi swastika. And some have mentioned there are swastikas all over China, Korea and other Asian regions so Asians are being hypocritical. Those "swastikas" are actually Buddhist symbols that were around many years before the Nazis adopted it as their own. The Nazis actually took the Buddhist symbol and inverted it, so the symbols are not the same... though it could easily be over-looked.

I first saw this article on the other MMA website and saw that a majority of the responses were "who cares" and "asians are too sensitive."

Let me try to put this into perspective. Some Americans feel offended when people display a Confederate flag. This is understandable as the Confederate flag could represent a fractured US or support for the old southern way of life (i.e. slavery). It's a disservice to the many men whom sacrificed their lives to preserve the US, its ideals, and culture.

The Japanese rising sun flag is not a national flag and is flown by the Japanese military who forcibly occupied regions in East and Southeast Asia before World War 2. This flag was flown during this occupation in which many atrocities occurred that included rape, torture, and mass murders. To this day, Japanese officials continue to deny it ever occurring. It is understandable why many Asians would find this flag highly offensive as it represents Japanese nationalism at the expense of other countries.

Also, some have compared the rising sun flag to the Nazi swastika. And some have mentioned there are swastikas all over China, Korea and other Asian regions so Asians are being hypocritical. Those "swastikas" are actually Buddhist symbols that were around many years before the Nazis adopted it as their own. The Nazis actually took the Buddhist symbol and inverted it, so the symbols are not the same... though it could easily be over-looked.

Hope this helps.

Yeah, this nugget of peace and sensitivity from a guy that calls himself Kamikaze, irony much?